Cairns Courts: Rugby league player Eddie Epseg pleads not guilty to eight rape charges

A Cairns rugby league player said “he felt like a porn star” when he allegedly violently raped a woman eight times and choked her to the point she feared she would die, a court has heard.

A Cairns rugby league player said “he felt like a porn star” when he allegedly violently raped a woman eight times and choked her to the point she feared she would die, a court has heard.

The trial of Eddie Elia Comi Dap Epseg, who pleaded not guilty to eight charges of rape and one of choking, entered its third day at Cairns District Court on Wednesday.

Crown prosecutor Rachel Boivin said the woman, who alleged she endured a violent four-hour attack, had been subjected to a prolonged and confusing cross-examination by Mr Epseg’s defence lawyer.

Ms Boivin said the issue was simply one of consent, and the woman did not consent to being sexually assaulted in multiple ways, including with a bottle and a vibrator, and that she was blindfolded and tied up for much of the time.

Eddie Epseg (centre), who has pleaded not guilty to eight charges of rape and one charge of choking leaves the Cairns Court House with his legal counsel. Picture: Brendan Radke

“It was a prolonged cross examination, it went for hours, and it was, you may have thought at times, confusing,” Ms Boivin said.

“She was rattled, confused, the defence even admitted he was confused at one point.

“You may think it was (the woman) on trial.”

Ms Boivin said the woman was humiliated, ashamed, embarrassed and confused, and the defence took issue with 30 text messages from 5000 sent.

“What she did hold firm on … what is certain is one thing, and that is consent, she never wavered, she did not consent and he knew it because they had never gone that way before,” Ms Boivin said.

“If you accept her as truthful, honest and reliable, you would find without any doubt, she was not consenting.”

Mr Epseg has not denied the details of the incident on August 1, 2022, but has maintained she was a willing participant or he was of the mistaken belief that she consented.

Ms Boivin said the pair had talked about bondage and discipline and threesomes but never did these things.

She said Epseg, whose wife had recently ended their marriage, had been drinking since early the previous day and he told the woman he wanted to sleep at her place and she drove him there at 9.30am that morning.

“She said he was forceful, aggressive, not the Eddie she knew … he said ‘don’t call me Eddie, call me X, I feel like a porn star, I’m a monster’,” Ms Boivin told the jury.

Former Edmonton Storm prop Eddie Epseg, who has pleaded not guilty to eight charges of rape and one charge of choking, at the end of day three of his trial, which continues before Judge Tracy Fantin. Picture: Brendan Radke

After the incident, the woman did the washing, went to Subway for lunch, had a nap and texted Mr Epseg later in the day, the court heard.

Ms Boivin said the woman was confused and was processing what had happened.

“She was not plotting or scheming to bring this man down, he was a man she cared about,” she said.

The woman went to police three days later.

Defence barrister Joseph Jacobs pointed to what he said was a multitude of inconsistencies in text messages and that the woman had denied sending a text message on her friend’s phone to Mr Epseg.

“Is it credible over four hours she could not call out or stop what was happening to her,” he asked the jury.

“She said she was feeling really tired, would get lunch and go home and sleep – is that normal behaviour?

“You might ask yourself as sensible members of the community, is that conduct with someone who violently raped and humiliated you, it doesn’t make sense … unless accept that what happened, happened consensually.”

He pointed to a series of friendly texts from the woman sent later that day to Mr Epseg.

Mr Jacobs said the woman met Mr Epseg and spent several hours with him at another address.

“The crown wants you to accept she was confused and processing what had happened to her,” Mr Jacobs said.

“The truth is she was clearly infatuated with Mr Epseg.”

Originally published as Cairns Courts: Rugby league player Eddie Epseg pleads not guilty to eight rape charges